DeepSummary
The episode is about the investigation into Dr. Robert Hadden, a gynecologist at Columbia University who sexually assaulted hundreds of patients over decades. It details the story of one of his earliest known victims, Lori Kaniak, who reported him to the police in 2012, but Columbia allowed him to continue seeing patients. The podcast exposes how Columbia covered up Hadden's crimes and failed to act on complaints about his abuse dating back to the 1990s.
Despite Lori's police report, the Manhattan District Attorney initially declined to prosecute Hadden due to lack of evidence and fears that victims wouldn't be believed. However, more victims came forward after one revealed she had written letters to Columbia in 1993 detailing Hadden's assault. This evidence enabled federal prosecutors to finally indict and convict Hadden in 2023.
The episode highlights the bravery of Hadden's victims in speaking out, as well as the moral failure of institutions like Columbia and the criminal justice system in not believing and protecting these women for so long. It commends the medical students who protested Columbia's inaction, offering hope that future doctors will handle such cases better.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Dr. Robert Hadden was a prolific sexual predator who assaulted potentially thousands of patients at Columbia University over decades.
- Columbia University was aware of Hadden's sexual abuse as early as the 1990s but actively covered it up and allowed him to continue practicing.
- The criminal justice system initially failed to believe Hadden's victims and let him go free after an early credible report in 2012.
- Hadden's victims showed remarkable bravery in coming forward and persisting until his eventual conviction in 2023 thanks to evidence from the 1990s.
- The moral failure of institutions like Columbia and the criminal justice system enabled Hadden's horrific, prolonged abuse.
- Medical students protesting Columbia offered a glimmer of hope that a new generation of doctors will handle sexual abuse cases properly.
- The profound breach of trust caused by sexual abuse in a medical setting underscores the unique vulnerability and violation of patients.
- The sheer scale and indiscriminate nature of Hadden's prolific abuse across diverse patient populations is staggering.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “It was hard to hear because any sexual assault is horrific, but especially in this position of trust and vulnerability, because all of us make a decision when we go to a doctor, and you expose yourself to a doctor, and you give a stranger permission to touch you, and that is a very unique situation, and you are uniquely vulnerable in that situation. And so that betrayal and violation of trust was just so profound.“ by Laura Beale
- “I've never done a project where that involved talking to person after person who'd been sexually assaulted. And their bravery is just something that, again, I'm a crier. Their bravery is something I will take away. And their willingness to trust us with their stories.“ by Laura Beale
- “So these medical students were demonstrating in their white coats during the inauguration, and their bravery is so astounding, you know, that they would do that because they have the least amount of power in the medical hierarchy, and they are dependent on the faculty for, you know, their future careers, and they are out there, and they have such amazing moral clarity in this, and they're just inspiring.“ by Laura Beale
- “And one of the women who see I'm tearing up now, one of the women, the survivors who was there during their inauguration, said, this is the first time I might trust a doctor again.“ by Laura Beale
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Episode Information
Exposed: Cover-Up at Columbia University
Wondery
5/6/24
In this fascinating conversation, medical journalist Laura Beil sits down with Crime Story host Kathleen Goldhar to discuss her explosive investigation into New York’s most prolific sexual predator and the university that covered up his crimes. You can listen to more incredible tales of true crime every week on Crime Story. Find more Crime Story episodes in your podcast app, or here: https://link.chtbl.com/_YqhCObj
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